The Great Commission Revisited

I am always a little puzzled by the teaching of the “Great Commission.” Most puzzling to me is not what it says, but why we only teach a portion of its message. Any Google search of the term “Great Commission” will tell you it is covered in Matthew 28:18-20, but did you know it was also witnessed by Mark, Luke and John?

Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

Mark: 16:15-18: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 

Luke 24:46-49: And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. 

John: 21-23: Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 

In order to fully understand the "Great Commission" we must look at all 4 witness accounts. Of course because these are 4 accounts of the same event, there will be some similarities, but even in the differences we see that God intended to use all 4 accounts to give us insight into what He commanded his disciples to do. In addition to the study of all 4 accounts of Jesus' words, we also have the luxury of looking in the book of Acts to see how they were interpreted by His disciples. 

Above is a simple chart taken from all 4 accounts in a way that shows similarities of each. It is clear that the message of Jesus was to go (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) into the world (all nations, Matthew, Mark, Luke) and preach or teach (Matthew, Mark, Luke) them to obey His commands and to baptize them in the name  of Jesus (Father Son and Holy Ghost, Matthew, Mark, Luke), for the remission of sins (Luke, John) and that they would receive the promise of the Father (Power from on high, the Holy ghost, Mark, Luke, John), which would then give them power to perform miracles if they would believe (Mark). 

The Old Testament prophet Joel foretold that there would come a day when God would "...pour out my Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28)." The book of Acts 2, according to the Apostle Peter, was the fulfillment of this prophesy (Acts 2:16). This chapter begins with the words "And when the days of Pentecost was fully come." Pentecost (Also called Shavout or the feast of weeks) was the Old Testament celebration of the giving of the law to Moses 50 days after God delivered the children of Isreal from Egypt. So what does it mean when Luke recorded that the day of Pentecost had "Fully Come?" Jeremiah revealed this to us (Jeremiah 31:31-33) when he said God would "make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" by putting His "laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds (Also Hebrews 10:16)." So not only was the pouring out of God's Spirit on His people the fulfillment of Joel's words, but also of the giving of the law by now putting His law in our hearts and minds. 

But does Acts chapter 2 match the great commission? 

Verse 3 says they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit of God gave them (Mark, Luke, John) .... Because Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom  (Matthew 16:19) to bind and loose things in heaven and Earth, he stood and gave the first New Testament sermon. When the crowd of Jews were convicted about having killed this man Jesus whom God had made "Both Lord and Christ, they asked Peter ... "What do we do now? (Acts 2:37-38) Peter said unto them, Repent (Luke) and be baptized (Matthew, Mark, Luke) every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ (Mark, Luke, further interpreting Matthew's NAME of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost is) for the remission of sins (Luke, John) and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Mark, Luke, John) ... "And many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles (Acts 2:43, Mark). 

So the Great Commission is not one passage, but consists of 4 witness accounts, one by each of the writers of the 4 gospels, and gives us a more well rounded view of the actual words of Jesus on that day. 

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12, Webster Bible).

Free From Offense

The religious hierarchy in Jesus' day was consistently offended at his speech because He didn't "beat around the bush" but preached plainly and with authority. He preached against sin and hypocrisy, and preached the kingdom of God, His mercy toward them who would give up their sin, take up their cross and follow Him. This message has not changed. Even the Apostle Paul said of himself that he used "great plainness of speech (2 Cor. 3:12)." The only people who refused to hear the gospel were those who, 1) loved darkness rather than light, enjoyed their sin and wanted to stay in it, or 2) loved the praise of men more than the praise of god, or 3) found it inconvenient at the moment, or 4) were so steeped in their own tradition that they could not see their way to the truth that He taught.

When Jesus taught about the coming end of days he made an interesting statement. "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another (Matthew 24:10)." Is there something about the last days that will cause people to be easily offended? I wonder if it has anything to do with what the apostle Paul said would be "Perilous times" when "men shall be lovers of their own selves … boasters, proud … unthankful … false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded … (2 Timothy 3:2-4).” It is certainly interesting how Jesus chose his words, “and many shall be offended!” Notice for a moment that it does not say “and many shall offend” which clearly tells us the problem of which He was speaking was that people would be overly sensitive. Surely if people will be offended there will by the very nature of the incident be offenders, however Jesus seemed to be less alarmed by this than He was the propensity to be easily offended.

So what are we as Christians supposed to take from this important passage? Surely we should not purposely be offensive, but should we then sidestep the gospel to assuage the sensitivity of others? Should we hide the ability of those who are hurting to receive deliverance, restoration salvation and healing because we may hurt their feelings? How far should we go to be sensitive, and how much of the truth should we leave out “just in case?” Obviously we are taught to be wise as serpents and harmless as a dove, but is that passage telling us to walk on egg shells wherever we go? And if so, how far should we take this? Should our ministers not preach against sin? Or is it acceptable to follow the example set by our Lord and by the first Apostle to the gentiles?

The Psalmist tells us “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Certainly if we love God and His Word we will not have to worry about being part of that crowd who is always so easily offended. If we are easily offended, we know the remedy; fall in love with God and His word until nothing offends us. This scripture gives us the litmus test, the measuring stick and the solution all in one. This will save us from performing the works of those are offended as well; the backbiting, the gossiping, the anger, the malice, the evil thoughts, etc. Once we are free from this, we can experience the peace that God intends for us to live in, and truly minister to others.

The Life of a Servant

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant (Matthew 23:11).

But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all (Mark 10:42-44).

Anybody who has been a disciple of Jesus Christ for any period of time is aware that Jesus orders His church differently than what we are used to seeing in our day to day lives. In the above passage He gives us a view of His expectations concerning service, and He even give us a juxtaposition to make sure it is clear. But just what does it mean to be a servant?

The apostle Paul writing to the Philippians (2:7) said that Jesus "took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." The question of servitude is often framed by asking whether or not we are a servant, however in this passage the Bible tells us that the form of man IS the form of a servant. So if our very frame, our very being, is the form of a servant, they only question left is not can I be a servant, for I was created in the form of a servant, but the question becomes "as a servant, who am I going to serve?"

As humans we were created to serve, so we are going to serve somebody. The question is, who? Will we serve ourselves and only do those things which please ourselves, or will we choose to deny ourselves and serve others? The Bible tells us in another place that "to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey." If we are servants to whoever we choose to obey, then who is it that we serve? Do we obey God? Do we obey our own whims and desires? 

We are servants. We are living in obedience to something, to someone. The only question is to whom, to what. 

Serving God - Freedom or Bondage

In the Beaverton House to House Bible study last week a concept arose that is one of my favorite examples of our relationship with Jesus Christ, and one that is not always understood by those who love Him, so I thought I would take a minute and blog about it before I start my day.

"Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but if thou mayest be made free, use it rather. For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord’s freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant (I Corinthians 7:20-22)."

To the casual observer, this scripture seems out of place. Reading through the chapter the writer is talking about the marriage relationship, and he seemingly follows a rabbit that goes running by as he reaches this portion; that is until we understand the principle of the "Freeman."

The apostle John penned the words of Jesus when he said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36)." Why then did the apostle Paul consistently refer to himself as the "prisoner" of the Lord (Eph. 4:1, II Tim. 1:8, Philemon 1:1, 1:9)? It seems to be a contradiction. How can we be "free indeed" if we are also in bondage? 

In the days surrounding the apostles, the Earth was ruled by kings. These kings were all powerful within their kingdoms and all who were within their kingdom they considered to be their property, but especially those who were specifically within their service, whether a general servant or in one of their prisons. Occasionally a king would travel from his own region to visit another king. It was customary on these visits for the host to show this visiting dignitary through his prisons to brag about his prisoners. It was also customary on these visitations for the visiting king to purchase a prisoner of his liking while he was on his visit. The host king would have his servants clean up the prisoner and would give him to the visiting king, for a price. This prisoner would then become the visiting king's "freeman." The term "freeman" represents the fact that the prisoner was under bondage, but now has been made free, only to serve the visiting king.

This principle is true of us who love Jesus Christ today. We were in bondage to the prince of this world until Jesus came and set us free, only to be servant to Him. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ²⁰For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (I Corinthians 6:19-20)."

We are indeed free from the bondage of this world, we are free to serve the one who paid the price to set us free. 

An Eye for an Eye – The George Zimmerman Trial

First of all I would like to preface this blog entry by saying there is nothing good about a lost life. I think if there was any way that any of us could go back and allow Trayvon Martin to live out the rest of his life we would do so with gladness. Unfortunately nobody can undo what has been done; not the politicians, not the courts, and not the idiots all over America who scream for yet more blood, demanding a pound of flesh! For what reason? So that justice may be served? And just what is the meaning of justice? Has it not been served already?

The six jurors that were chosen to sit and hear this trial had a difficult task on their hands. That task was not to get George Zimmerman back for what he did, not to get a pound of flesh, but was to apply the current laws of the State of Florida, regardless of how they may feel about them, to the actions of the night Trayvon Martin was killed. It is important that we understand this as a free nation. The purpose of a trial and those who sit in the judgment seat (the jury) are not there to pass their own judgment, not there to make sure the defendant is freed or convicted, but only to make sure the current laws are properly applied to the case, no more and no less. 

In a criminal trial in America, the defendant is always innocent until proven guilty. This means the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, or the state. In addition, there are laws that pertain to what can or can’t be admitted as evidence in a trial. The jury is only obligated to consider those items that are admitted as evidence. In addition, the prosecution is required to prove “beyond a shadow of doubt” that the defendant has broken the current law that applies to the trial. If they are unable to “remove all doubt” of a person’s innocence (since they are innocent until proven guilty), that person remains free under the current laws. 

When the founders of this nation considered a system that would be the best long term for governing the new nation, they decided it best to provide for a separation of powers that would assure checks and balances. This system was set up so that tyrannical powers could not set up shop and run the show, more or less. In this separation of powers the founders gave us the Executive Branch (President) serves to execute the laws, the Legislative Branch (Congress) serves to legislate or create new laws, and the Judicial Branch serves to interpret and apply laws. The Judiciary does not have the power to legislate or create new laws, they only serve to interpret and provide a forum for resolution of disputes, including both criminal (the State) and civil disputes. A judge or prosecuting attorney do not have the power to change laws, nor do they have the power to create new laws (except through the legislative process) in the court room. Regardless of how they feel about the current laws, they are obligated to operate within the confines of said statutes. 

That being said, laws can be changed through the legal process of legislation. Occasionally an incident will happen that changes how people think about a law and the legislative process can serve to clarify the law, add to the law, or create a new law to replace the old law. This process happens on a daily basis in both state and federal legislative systems. 

It is amazing first of all, with the media lies and misrepresentations, that George Zimmerman was able to get a fair trial at all. There must be a way that the media can be tempered or held responsible for the insane bias that happens in the name of ratings. Because of the media frenzy, people all over America had already considered Mr. Zimmerman guilty before he was tried in a court of law. Cries all over the social media waves called for his execution, others saying that he better not get off and go free or they would hunt him down and kill him. I don’t know about you, but this is not the America I grew up in. 

The State of Florida has a neighborhood watch program that includes a volunteer project called Citizen on Patrol (COP). The night of the incident George Zimmerman was out on COP patrol. The guidelines of COP say the system is safe and is just a way to “keep an eye on your neighborhood” because our social system is so broken down that nobody watches out for each other any longer. IN the COP guidelines there is no need for a firearm, in fact they discourage the use of firearms altogether. Because there is a liberal right to carry law in Florida, it was well within Zimmerman’s right to carry his firearm for personal safety. 

From what I understand, there had been several break-ins and thefts in his neighborhood over the months leading up to the night of the incident, and Zimmerman volunteered with the COP program to help stop the burglaries. On the night of the incident Zimmerman notices a man in a hoodie passing through whom he did not recognize, and thought him suspicious or at least wanted to keep an eye on him to be sure he wasn’t up to anything. He followed protocol by calling 911. The operator told him to stay back and not to follow, but unfortunately George did not obey. Obviously looking back it is easy to say he should not have followed, but following Trayvon was not a crime. George Zimmerman did not cross any lines or break any laws by doing so. How was he to know that Martin would turn and jump him and start hitting him in the face and bashing his head into the cement (which is a crime by the way). While Trayvon is bashing Zimmerman’s head into the concrete and hitting him in the face, George decided to make the ultimate decision, to take another man’s life. He did not know Martin was a 17 year old kid, not should that matter, so that point is moot. If he was old enough to jump another man and starting beating him, he was old enough for whatever consequences ensued. 

The Florida law that was used to adjudicate is called the “Stand your Ground” law and states that “a person may justifiably use force in self-defense when there is reasonable belief of an unlawful threat, without an obligation to retreat first.” So if a person feels personally threatened and has no way of escape, he or she is legally within his or her right to use deadly force. So, if some guy in a hoody just jumped you and was hitting you in the face and bashing your head into the pavement, do you think that matches the law? Remember, you don’t know if this guy is going to continue until you die, and he is sitting on top of you so you have no immediate way of escape. I am not asking if you would shoot him, I am only asking if this would constitute “an unlawful threat without a means of escape.” The job of the prosecution was to prove without a shadow of a doubt that, a) there was no unlawful act taking place in which Zimmerman would be in a position to need to defend bodily harm to himself and, b) there was an easy way of retreat so he would not have a need to protect himself, neither of which they were able to prove. 

There are so many sad things about this incident. Not just that Trayvon Martin chose violence and ended up losing his life, but that a generation of people are so racially charged over the issue. How did this become an issue of race? The news media made it an issue of race. Until and unless we as Americans, regardless of our skin color, fight back against the media machine that seems determined to destroy the social fabric of the USA, we will see ignorance rule in the minds of men. Did Trayvon Martin have to die? No! Is George Zimmerman Guilty under the current laws? No! Are the current laws unfair and unjust? If you believe they are then shut your mouth, sign off of Facebook and Twitter, put down your offensive sign, go get an education and make a difference!

Is America Still the Greatest Nation on Earth?

I have heard since I was a very young child that despite our warts and weaknesses, America is still the best country on Earth. Usually I hear this in reference to somebody having heard a complaint about our political system, or our court system, or another system that has had a recent failure or shortcoming. I would like to ask the question, are we still the greatest nation on Earth, and if so, in what? What does it mean to be the greatest nation on Earth?

So, I set out to look up some global statistics to see if, and if so where, America is still the greatest nation on the big blue ball. 

In many of the statistical areas, America was first just a few years ago, however it seems we are in a slow slide and even highly motivated to continue the downward trend. Figures for skills in math, reading and science in 2009 show the US in 33rd in reading, 27th in math, and 22nd in science on standardized testing. Countries that are highest is math, science and engineering are known to be the most innovative, a label we are quickly losing as colleges are closing down programs in these areas due to a lack of interest while they pack in philosophy and communications programs (which almost guarantee a job at McDonald's right out of college).

Here are a few more global rankings:

Freedom of the Press - Tied for 9th
Global Peace Index - 96th (just behind Yemen and just ahead of Iran)
Likelihood of a Terrorist Attack - 4th
Soundness of Banks - 108th
Beer Consumption - 2nd
Competitiveness - 1st
Tax Burden - 21st
Quality of Infrastructure - 23rd
Deaths in Youth (10-24 years of age) - 1st
Life Expectancy - 24th
Obesity - 18th
Preventable Deaths (amenable to health care) - 14th
Murder Rates (lower numbers are better) - 78th
Prison Population - 1st (738 per 100,000)
Gun Ownership - 1st (39%)
GDP - 1st (expected to be 3rd by 2020)
Privacy Index - Tied for 13th with Thailand

When we consider there are approximately 196 countries in the world (the experts can't agree on this number), we are doing OK in some areas, however considering the above rankings we certainly are not #1 in many areas. Over the last few years global position in economic factors has taken a large dip. Prior to 2008-9 most of the countries of the world pinned their currency to the US dollar, however this is no longer true as the US dollar is no longer considered by many to be safe. There are many other areas we could cite as well.

So what does it mean to be the "best nation on Earth?" Do these world rank numbers indicate we are not the best, or are we still the best, only in areas that are more difficult to define? Is it possible we are sliding and continue to slide while we pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves we are the best, further blinding ourselves to the need to work harder to be the best?

Is it true or has it become an excuse to do nothing as we slide into mediocrity?

(rankings taken from http://www.photius.com/rankings/)

The Accuser is Alive and Well

Of all the names the Bible gives Satan, none is more telling than the one in Revelation 12:10:

"I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."

One of this enemies greatest tools is his ability to accuse us to each other in such a convincing way that we often do not question where the accusation is coming from, and more often just believe it as founded on some logic our mind wraps around it. There are some timeless rules that apply and help us to hear him when he speaks:

1. If it is an accusation, it is from the devil, no matter what it is about. God does not ever accuse us to one another, nor does He speak to us about each other in a way that rouses suspicion or violates His Word in any way. If the voice says pray for or love somebody, it may be the voice of God. If the voice says "look at how that person is dressed," or "Did you hear what she said about my president," it is not from God.

 2. You cannot know another person's thoughts or motives, no matter how much you think you can. Whenever you get a thought that includes a person's thoughts or motives, you can be sure it is not from God. Only God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. We cannot know others', however our own can be revealed by spending time in God's Word. 

 3. If you fall in love with God and His Word, you will never be offended. Psalm 119:165 says, "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." If you have a problem being offended by what others say or how they act, it is most likely the problem is not with them. We do not have the opportunity to change how others act, we do, however, have the opportunity to change how we react to the stimulus.


4. Love is the antidote (Matthew 24) . If you love people you will not be offended by them (see I Corinthians 13). 

5. Try every spirit whether it is of God. We should cultivate a sensitivity to the spiritual in our lives through prayer, fasting, reading the Bible, and walking with God daily. The Bible tells us it is possible to exercise our senses to the point that we are sensitive to both good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).

The accuser is working full steam in our day. I can say not a day goes by without some strange thought passing through my mind about one of my brothers or sisters. Among the many prophesies Jesus left us concerning the time just prior to His second coming, he said:

"And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold ( Matthew 24:10 &12)"

One of the hallmarks of the end of days is that people will be easily offended. Sound familiar? We are taught in our public schools that it is not only OK, but that it is your right to be offended. Nothing could be further from the truth. Let us remember that we are not fighting a battle against flesh (other people) but against spiritual wickedness in high places, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and let us make sure we are prepared for the battle that we face daily.

Put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-18)!